JJHuddle/PBR Ohio Division II Power Rankings: No. 16 - No. 20
March 28, 2014
By Dylan Hefflinger
PBR Ohio Senior Writer/Northwest Scout
No. 16 Columbus St. Francis DeSales High School
Head coach Tom Neubert and the St. Francis DeSales Stallions are a perennial power in the state, but had a rough 2013 season after winning back-to-back state championships in 2011-2012. The Stallions finished 2013 with a 14-17, 4-4 Central Catholic League record, falling to Granville 6-5 in the district finals.
However, this is 2014 and the Stallions return eight starters and five pitchers and coach Neubert feels that experience along with pitching and defense will get the Stallions to have a long tournament run and be at the top of the CCL.
Projected pitching rotation:
- 1 Bryan Stopar, Sr. RHP (Honorable Mention All Ohio in 2013). Batted 4th and was our #1 pitcher last year.
- 2 Connor Golden, Sr. LHP. Very good outfielder with a strong arm. On the mound he has great
movement on his fastball and offspeed pitches, pictured left. - 3 Reed Norris, Jr. RHP. Great addition to the varsity roster. At 6'4" he throws in the low-to-mid 80s.
- 4 Zach Bowden, So. RHP, ranked number 14 in the 2016 class, one to keep eye one, pictured right.
Projected lineup:
- 1 Justin Thompson, Sr. OF. Great speed at the top of the lineup. Finds ways to get on base and scores runs.
- 2 Aaron Kinzle, Sr. CF/P
- 3 Bryan Stopar, Sr. 1B/P
- 4 Nic Danner, Sr. 1B/OF
- 5 Reed Norris, Jr, 3B/P
- 6 Justin Borghese, Jr.
- 7 Sean Hoban, Sr.
- 8 Keagan Lipak, Sr.
- 9 Connor Golden, Sr. OF/P
A sophomore to keep an eye on this season is Brendan Alas (IF/P So.). Brendan is a great utility guy that can play all infield positions
No. 17 Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School
NDCL finished the 2013 season with a 16-13 record, losing to Akron Archbishop Hoban 3-2 in the regional semifinals.
The Lions are loaded with talent for the 2014 season, led by senior Connor Kaucic (LHP, ranked 114 in the 2014 class) and juniors Ryan Falls (6-5, 190-pound, LHP, ranked 14th in the 2015 class), Daniel Mitri (5-11, 175-pound, catcher, pictured left) and Nick Beck (6-2, 195-pound OF/INF).
No. 18 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney High School
Youngstown Cardinal Mooney finished the 2013 season 21-8, losing to Akron Archbishop Hoban in the regional final.
The Cardinals are led by seniors Ryan Megyesi (6-1, 175-pound, OF), Gino Divincenzo (5-8, 160-pound MIF, pictured right), Joe Cunningham (6-0, 175-pound, RHP) and junior Chris Lowery (6-0, 190-pound, INF).
No. 19 Bryan High School
The Golden Bears and head coach Jeff Inselmann had an up and down 2013 season finishing 18-7, 7-1
NWOAL and losing in the sectional semifinals to a feisty Bowling Green club, 2-1.
The Golden Bears have a lot of experience back, as six starters return as well as six pitchers.
Some of the top players for Bryan this season include:
- Jordan Bostater (3B/1B), unsigned senior, pictured right; 5'11/175 lbs. (R/R); .346 average, 21 RBIs, 28 hits/9 doubles
- Derek Knisely (C, OF), Junior, 6'0/ 195 lbs. (L/R); .317 average, 15 RBIs, 20 hits, ranked 139 in 2015 class, pictured
right. - Nate Rau (SS, 2B, 3B), Junior, 5'9/ 150 lbs. (R/R), ranked 175 in 2014 class.
- Bailey Martin (P, INF), Junior, 6'4/ 170 lbs. (R/R); 41.0 IP, 4-3 record, 35 hits allowed, 24 K's, 2.39 ERA, ranked 124 in 2015 class.
- Deylen Miley (P, INF), Sophomore, 6'2/ 165 lbs. (R/R), one to definitely keep your eye on.
- Kyle Rupp (P, OF), Junior, 6'0/ 160 lbs. (R/R)
No. 20 Napoleon High School
The Wildcats only went 8-20 in 2013 and went 2-12 in the difficult Northern Lakes League and also lost in the sectional final to the eventual state champion Defiance, 7-1. So why would they be ranked in the top 20 in 2014? The simple answer is talent.
The Wildcats have at least seven players that can play at the next level, led by their ace and Kent State
commit, Zach Willeman (6-2, 190-pound, pictured left) who is the seventh ranked player in the 2014 class and had a very successful summer season with the Napoleon River Bandits who reached Nationals in the American Legion tournament. The righty sits upper 80s and will be touching low 90s in the spring with a nasty curve.
Other top players include:
- Zach Fielder, Outfield/Catcher, 2014, 6'2"- 220-pound. Ranked 170 in 2014 class. Unsigned senior who is a physical specimen. Very strong and had an outstanding summer season for the River Bandits. Pictured right.
- Jacob Lerch, Outfield, 2014, 5'8", 170-pound. Bluffton commit. Leadoff hitter, with good speed.
- Michael Gilliland, Shortstop, 2015, 6'0", 165-pound. Solid infielder, one to keep eye on. Ranked 194 in 2015 class.
- Tyler Torrez, Outfield, 2014, 5'11", 150-pound. Unsigned senior who had a solid summer with the River Bandits. Hits the ball well, hardly strikes out and can play all over the field.
- Wes Rickenberg, 6'2", 160-pound. Preferred walk-on at BGSU
. Sits mid 80s with decent offspeed, ranked number 96 in 2014 class. - Layne Schnitz-Paxton, RHP, 2016, 6'2", 180-pound. Sat 83-85 this winter and only hoping to increase that. Will be interesting to see how he does against better competition. One to definitely keep an eye on, pictured right.
- Alex Monnin, RHP, 2015, 5'11", 175-pound. Solid contact every time he hits and when he pitches, he sits upper 70s.
